Collapsible shipping container



N. K. HUNT.

COLLAPSIBLE SHIPPING CONTAINER. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 21. 1922.

1,424,099. Patented July 25, 1922.

N ivnI E K. HUNT, or ADOLPI-IUS, KENTUCKY.

GOLLAPSIBLE SHIPPING CONTAINER.

Application filed March 21, 1922. Serial No. 545,553.

T 0 aZZ whom it may concern Be it known that I, NANNIE K. HUNT, a citizen of the United States, residin at Adolphus, in the county of Allen and tate of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Collapsible Shipping Containers, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings. This invention relates to collapsible shipping containers and it has for its object to provide a device of this character made up of a plurality of nested sections and a plurality of sectional braces, the latter being adapted to be taken apart and packed in the sections of the container in shipment.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a view'in side elevation of a collapsible container with the brace presenting a face view;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a collapsible container with the braces presented in edge view; and

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of some of the elements of the brace.

The container may be of any desired shape, such for example, as round or square, and it consists ofa pluraliy of sections as, for example, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, the section 9 constituting a bottom and the remaining sections being of successively greater diameter and slightly tapering so that whenthe uppermost section 5 is grasped and drawn upwardly all of these sections will be brought into engagement with each other,

the lower edge of section 8 engaging about the upper edge of section 9 and so on. To hold these sections in the position illustrated, I employ braces madeup of a plurality of plates 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14. It will, of course,

be understood that these braces maybe of any length and may embody as many sections as desired. The lowermost section 14 is provided with a slot or eye 15 which receives an extension 16 of the section 13. Each of the other sections, except the upper section 10, is provided with a corresponding extension 16 which enters a corresponding eyel5 of said other section. The uppermost section 10 is provided only with the extension 16 and not with the eye. The upper and lower sections 5 and 9 of the container carry hooks 17 and 18, respectively, which engage with eyes 19 and 20 upon the uppermost plates 10 and 14, respectively. Thus when the several sections of the braces are brought into engagement with each other, as illustrated in Fig. 2, they serve to hold the sections of the contamer in extended condition or in the position shown in the drawing. By disengaging the hooks 17 and 18 from the eyes 19 and 20 the braces may be removed and the sectlons 5 to 9 collapsed. The several sections of the braces may then be disengaged from each other and placed in a collapsed container for shipment with said container. It is a well known fact that it is highly desir able to provide a simple container which may be collapsed so that the empty containers when being returned to their owners will take up but little room. The simple annular segments 5 to 9 provide a shipping container which may be manufactured at a very small cost and the braces herein shown and described provide simple and eflicient means for holding said annular elements in their extended position, while at the same time they may be readily brought to small compass when it is desired to collapse the structure and return it to its owner.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise construction set forth but that itincludes. within its purview whatever changes fairly come within either the terms or the spirit of the appended claims.

Specification of Letterslatent. PatenfedJ 1 25 19 22 i Having described my invention what I,

claim is:

1. A collapsible container comprising a plurality of annular interengaging elements and a plurality of braces, each of said braces comprising a plurality of sections, means for connecting the several sections of said braces detachably together in such manner that when said sections are connected the braces are vertically rigid, said means comprising slots formed in some of the sections and offset projections upon other of the sections engageable in said slots and interengaging elements between the uppermost and lowermost sections of the container and the uppermost and lowermost sections of the braces.

2. A collapsible container comprising a plurality of annular sections, each section being successively greater in diameter than the section below and being adapted to enand lowermost sections of the container adapted to engage 1n the eyes of the braces and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature.

NANNIE K. HUN T. 

